Ahead of the opening match between the Vietnamese women's team and the defending champion US team in the 2023 Women's World Cup finals, the famous US magazine TIME has just published an article praising the Vietnamese people's love of football.
Article published in TIME magazine.
According to the article, across the United States, thousands of football fans are eagerly gathering in front of their TV screens on the evening of July 21 (US time) to watch the match above. This is the beginning of a chance to make history, as the American players enter as the most favorite candidates to win the World Cup for the third time in a row. But in another part of the world, Vietnam, the excitement may be even greater, as the country's football fans wake up early on Saturday morning due to the time difference to witness the moment that makes their country's history. The Rabbit Hole, an Irish sports bar in Ho Chi Minh City, usually does not open until 3pm. But restaurant owner Ó Broin said he will open at 7:45am on July 22, because Vietnamese people will definitely come here early to watch the Vietnamese women's team play in the first match of the World Cup. "Whenever Vietnam plays in international tournaments, people often gather in stores to watch," he said. In Vietnam, a country of nearly 100 million people, football is known as the "King of Sports". An estimated 75% of the population is a football fan - the highest rate among Asian countries. When Vietnamese football plays in regional or international tournaments, a familiar image after each victory is fans pouring into the streets with flags, trumpets and celebrating until late at night. Football also holds a special place in the country's history for bridging the gap between the North and the South in a newly unified Vietnam in 1975. Nearly 50 years later, the Vietnamese women's team has asserted its position in the region. In May, the Vietnamese women's team won the gold medal for the fourth consecutive time at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. Now, they are preparing to take the country's football to the global stage. TIME magazine quoted player Huynh Nhu emphasizing: "Participating in the World Cup is not only my dream but also the dream of the whole team. Not only for the female players, but also for the male team and the fans." The 31-year-old star striker is also the first Vietnamese female player to play professional football in Europe, when she joined Portuguese club Lank FC in August 2022. Despite their passionate love of football, the Vietnamese people and the players themselves are under no illusions about the challenges that await them at the 2023 World Cup. The match against the US team on July 21 will be Vietnam's first match in what is considered a "death group". This group includes the reigning champions US, the runners-up of the tournament Netherlands and the 21st ranked Portugal. Competing against the strongest teams in the world, Vietnam's hopes of reaching the knockout round are extremely slim. The coach of the Vietnamese women's team, Mr. Mai Duc Chung, emphasized earlier this month that his players only need to score one goal at the World Cup to "make history". However, those difficulties do not diminish the love and support that the Vietnamese people have for the team. They will follow the matches wherever they are, at home or abroad. Mr. C. Dung, administrator of a Facebook page following the journey of the Vietnamese team at the World Cup, shared that although he did not expect too much, he believed that the Vietnamese women's team would play well and be resilient in the matches. People would cheer for the team from home, and no matter what the result, everyone had a reason to celebrate: "The fact that Vietnamese women's football was able to participate in a tournament, a big competition like the World Cup is already something to be very proud of."
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